Alabama Arise testimony in opposition to corporate COVID-19 immunity bill

Before lawmakers rushed to enact SB 30, Arise’s Robyn Hyden testified against the bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee last Wednesday. Find the full text of her remarks below.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Health provisions in House relief bill would improve access to health coverage during COVID crisis

The path forward on Medicaid expansion is getting clearer than ever before. The new U.S. House relief bill would give Alabama an extra $940 million in federal funding over two years if Gov. Kay Ivey agrees to expand Medicaid, according to estimates by Arise’s national partners at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. That would be more than enough to cover our state’s initial expansion costs. It’s time to save lives and expand Medicaid. 

Wall Street Journal: Why Alabama has the worst Covid-19 vaccination rates

The Wall Street Journal shined a national spotlight on Alabama's difficulties in effectively vaccinating residents. Our state’s challenges in responding to this emergency are the painful result of more than a decade of lawmakers’ failure to invest adequately in public health. “We have really tied our own hands in Alabama by undercutting the public-health infrastructure in our budgets,” Arise policy director Jim Carnes told the Journal.

Alabama Daily News: COVID-19 protocols limiting public access to legislative session

Alabama’s stop-and-start legislative streaming efforts have frustrated Arise members and other advocates in the session’s early days. With in-person attendance limited, the technical glitches mean many Alabamians are not able to hear and follow along with the passage of important bills. “We should view the limitations imposed by the pandemic as an opportunity to increase transparency and good governance,” Arise’s Robyn Hyden told Alabama Daily News. “Instead, it feels we are going the wrong way due to poor planning.”

Arise is hiring a State Policy Fellow: Applications due Friday

Alabama Arise is seeking applicants for the State Policy Fellowship Program to work on budget and public policy issues affecting low- and moderate-income communities and communities of color in Alabama. The Fellowship is a project of the State Priorities Partnership, a national network coordinated by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonprofit research organization with a national reputation for rigorous analysis of fiscal policies and an ability to influence policy debates. Get more details below, and help us spread the word before the Feb. 19 application deadline.

Bills we're watching this week: 

• HB 37, by Rep. Laura Hall, D-Huntsville, would eliminate the requirement for people who lost their voting rights due to a conviction to pay all fines and fees before they can regain the right to vote. HB 37 is in the House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee. Arise supports HB 37.
• HB 107, by Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, would repeal the Habitual Felony Offender Act and provide for resentencing of people convicted under the act. HB 107 has been assigned to a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee. Arise supports HB 107.
• HB 129, by Rep. Chris Pringle, R-Mobile, would eliminate suspension of driver’s licenses in a number of circumstances. HB 129 is in the House Judiciary Committee. Alabama Arise supports HB 129.
• HB 210, a bill by Rep. Paul Lee, R-Dothan, would require hospitals to collect, publish and analyze statistical data on hospital discharges. HB 210 has passed the House Health Committee. Arise supports HB 210.
• HB 241, by Rep. Mike Holmes, R-Wetumpka, would restrict the state health officer's authority to issue health orders during disease outbreaks. HB 241 is in the House State Government Committee. HB 168, by Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, and SB 184, by Sen. Shay Shelnutt, R-Trussville, similarly would limit the authority of county health officers to issue health orders during disease outbreaks. HB 168 is in the House State Government Committee, and SB 184 is in the Senate Healthcare Committee. Arise opposes these bills.